Gray Witch (Black Hat Bureau 5)

More good news, but my observations wouldn’t help Asa or Clay. They had Markus and Emmett on their hands, and no magic to detonate the onryo. We had to hurry this along, before the guys got hurt. If I could get my hands on both skeletons, I could end this.

“That’s it.” Trinity tossed a skull onto the pile. “The tiny bits are in the plastic container.”

When I realized what I was seeing, I wanted to bang my head against the tree. “This is only Malcom.”

“Advent told us we each had to do it alone and keep the location to ourselves.”

“Okay.” I gestured her aside. “Stand back.”

Drawing on Colby, I spoke the words to reduce the bones to ash then grappled with my kit to locate a small vial. I knelt beside the hole, swept the ashes into it, dumped in the salt, and gave it a stir.

A foul odor wafted up to curl around me, and Trinity’s knees buckled with a violent jerk.

The bond between onryo and summoner had been broken.

Thank the goddess.

Quickly, I filled in the hole, tamped it down hard, and set a simple ward around the area that would dissolve over time with exposure to the elements. Overkill? Maybe. I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

Pushing to my feet, I went to Trinity and checked her pulse. Steady. I patted her down to ensure no nasty surprises waited for me, but all she had on her was a pottery shard turned keychain that throbbed with magic. One I was willing to bet matched the smashed vase from the mausoleum.

Heaving her upright, I propped her back against a tree and used a binding spell to pin her arms behind her. One less thing to worry about.

With her secure, I went in search of the guys. I didn’t have to go far before I heard the daemon bellow. I homed in on his rage and let it guide me. Soon, Clay’s shouts entered the mix, and I knew I was on the right track. As I burst through a clump of wild blueberry bushes, I spotted them.

Clay held Markus in check while the daemon fought Emmett with varying degrees of success.

The daemon was coated in green slime, and it slicked his feet, making him slide when he moved too fast. His fury only grew as the onryo bobbed and weaved out of his grasp, immune to the goo. One wrong step, and the daemon went down on his side.

I took advantage of the opening and rushed Emmett from behind. I clutched his arm, lighting him up with a thought, and he splattered us and the surrounding area. Markus, stunned by the apparent defeat of his champion, quit struggling to glare at me with so much hate, I felt it like a slap in the face.

“Where’s my sister?” He scanned over my shoulder. “What have you done with her?”

Ignoring his demands, I asked Clay, “Have you searched him?”

“Not yet.” He began patting him down. “Looking for anything in particular?”

“A pottery shard.” I held up Trinity’s. “Like this one.”

The sight of her keychain sent Markus into a fit. “What have you done with Trini?”

“She’s safe,” I assured him. “We’ll fetch her when we’re done here.”

“Got it.” Clay held up another keychain. “What is it?”

Since Marita texted, I had my theories, but why not go to the source? “Answer the question.”

“A bunch of weird crap was buried with the Boo Brothers,” Markus clipped out. “It looked like thrift store rejects to me, but Advent claimed they were powerful relics that would help us with our quest.”

Our quest.

Further evidence these kids had too much black magic swirling through them to care they were killers.

“What was special about the vase?”

“He told us to smash it and send everyone in the ring a piece.” His lips pulled back over his teeth. “It conceals the smell of black magic.”

Well, that was one mystery solved. I bet there was another shard in the inn itself to keep out the stink even while the Amhersts weren’t home. Same for the other locations.